5 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Star Wars

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is set to open on the 18th of December and like you, we can't wait for the latest installment in the series. 7 movies and 37 years since the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, we bring to you some surprising facts about this galaxy, far, far away.

1. Studios turned down Star Wars because they didn't think it could be a hit

In 1973, George Lucas wanted to make a "Space Opera" - a Western set in outer space in order to refresh the genre. Turned down by both United Artists and Universal, he eventually got the green light from Alan Ladd Jr. who was then a producer at 20th Century Fox, and Gordon Stulberg, the president of Fox, even though the board of directors didn't agree.

The production of the first movie was plagued by difficulties over filming, the story and the budget. It was considered an embarrassment for 20th Century Fox with some whispers from within the studio that the production would be shut down. Thankfully, it never came to that and when Ladd saw the thrill in the audience's eyes and their applause for the film at its first public screening, he was moved to tears.

3. Harrison Ford Wasn't Even Auditioning To Play Hans Solo

Probably the biggest movie star to emerge from Star Wars has been Harrison Ford. From playing Hans Solo a smuggler, captain of the Millennium Falcon and one of the great rebel leaders in Star Wars, he then went on to play another major character in Indiana Jones.

But it all could have been very different and the world may never have got to know Harrison Ford. In a Reddit AskMeAnything (AMA), Harrison Ford revealed that he was working as a full time carpenter at the time of the auditions for the first movie. George Lucas, who he had worked with on American Graffiti offered him a job to help feed lines for auditioning actors for other characters.

“I had helped George Lucas audition other actors for the principle parts, and with no expectation or indication that I might be considered for the part of Han. I was quite surprised when I was offered the part”, Ford said.

4. David Fincher worked on "Return of the Jedi"

Okay so at this point you're probably going David, who? Now, you might not recognize his name, but you will definitely recognize some of the movies he's directed. Se7en, Fight Club and more recently, The Social Network and Gone Girl are just some of the cult movies that he has directed.

Tech enthusiast who has worked in Tech and Finance for two of the largest companies on the planet. Often the go-to guy in the office for tech advice, whether it's about hardware or software, i'm now putting it down in writing so it can be Googled for everyone.